Not a good day for the NCAA. The enforcement program, the hired guns responsible for investigating…
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The NCAA contracted an outside investigation into its handling, and less than three weeks later (the NCAA had no idea investigations could be conducted so quickly!), the findings have been released. Members of the enforcement staff "knowingly circumvented legal advice to engage Nevin Shapiro's criminal defense attorney." Additionally, they "violated the internal NCAA policy of legal counsel only being retained and monitored by the legal staff."

But—and this is a wonderful but for Mark Emmert and co.—the investigation found the enforcement staff's actions "did not violate a specific bylaw or law." Which means, if Emmert is really serious about, as he says, "ensuring our actions are consistent with our own values and member expectations," then he's got to consider invoking that favorite NCAA catch-all of programs gone wrong—the lack of institutional control.

• In December, the NCAA fired investigator Abigail Grantstein, who had been looking into the case of UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad. An overheard phone call indicated that Grantstein had judged Muhammad guilty before the investigation was over, and, at the very least, was sharing confidential information.

• Ameen Najjar, a veteran investigator working the Miami case, was fired last year for being the NCAA's main conduit between Perez and the NCAA.

To facilitate communications between the NCAA and Mr. Shapiro, Mr. Johanningmeier purchased a disposable mobile phone and paid for Mr. Shapiro's use of the prison telephone system. Mr. Johanningmeier, in turn, expensed those costs to the NCAA. (Comley; Lach; Johanningmeier; Najjar; Shapiro). We learned that the NCAA had expended approximately $8,200 to fund communications with Mr. Shapiro, including transfers of approximately $4,500 to his prison commissary account from which he pays for communications expenses.

Yes, the NCAA used a burner phone to call Nevin Shapiro in prison. And paid Shapiro himself, their star witness, $4,500 for his cooperation.